Hulk Disappoints, From Justin To Kelly Flops, Weekend Box Office 6/20-6/22
06-26-03, 01:52 AM
#101
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They caught the guy who pirated the pre-release onto the net.
You'd better believe they're gonna blame him in court if the movie doesn't prove to have legs.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...e-todays-times
You'd better believe they're gonna blame him in court if the movie doesn't prove to have legs.
"The Hulk" burst into theaters June 20, earning $62.1 million its opening weekend amid mixed reviews. Ticket sales were high Friday, but by Saturday night they had drooped 12%, raising concerns about the film's longevity.
The effect of the piracy — and of the public panning that followed in Internet chat rooms and elsewhere — on the box-office success of "The Hulk" is difficult to gauge, studio executives said.
"That early version of the film is available on nearly every peer-to-peer network," Randall said. "It's available on bootleg DVDs, on the streets of New York and in almost every country in the world."
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By June 9, the studio said, it had contacted the Los Angeles office of the FBI. Within days, federal law enforcement officials had pieced together enough evidence to connect the bootleg to a New York ad agency, investigators said. At the same time, FBI officials tracked the copy through the Internet service providers that Gonzalez and others used.
But by then the rough version of "The Hulk" was being thoroughly panned. Hundreds of people flocked to chat rooms and Web sites to describe the film as "terrible" and "lame." The studio was horrified that they were passing judgment on a film that was substantially different from what the final product would be.
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Kerry Gonzalez, a 24-year-old New Jersey insurance underwriter, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to criminal charges of posting the bootlegged movie on the Internet. He could face a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced Sept. 26 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The effect of the piracy — and of the public panning that followed in Internet chat rooms and elsewhere — on the box-office success of "The Hulk" is difficult to gauge, studio executives said.
"That early version of the film is available on nearly every peer-to-peer network," Randall said. "It's available on bootleg DVDs, on the streets of New York and in almost every country in the world."
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By June 9, the studio said, it had contacted the Los Angeles office of the FBI. Within days, federal law enforcement officials had pieced together enough evidence to connect the bootleg to a New York ad agency, investigators said. At the same time, FBI officials tracked the copy through the Internet service providers that Gonzalez and others used.
But by then the rough version of "The Hulk" was being thoroughly panned. Hundreds of people flocked to chat rooms and Web sites to describe the film as "terrible" and "lame." The studio was horrified that they were passing judgment on a film that was substantially different from what the final product would be.
---
Kerry Gonzalez, a 24-year-old New Jersey insurance underwriter, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to criminal charges of posting the bootlegged movie on the Internet. He could face a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced Sept. 26 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
06-26-03, 07:37 AM
#102
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What's the big deal if it's different from the final version?
Instead of pointing fingers at the pirate, why not point it at themselves for a lousy movie?
Instead of pointing fingers at the pirate, why not point it at themselves for a lousy movie?
06-26-03, 09:00 AM
#103
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When studios say the numbers are down due to a sagging economy they are just trying to make themselves feel better. Noone sane believes those lies. I have not yet seen "Hulk" but plan to sometime soon regardless of the awful word of mouth I have heard from everyone at my office. Sure, it was wrong of the pirater to put the movie on the web, but if those people thought that version of the film was "lame" then they most likely were not going to change their opinion over the real version of the film. The word of my mouth would still be the same.
06-26-03, 12:33 PM
#104
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I saw the Hulk yesterday, and if you were a fan of the Hulk comics, you will not be dissappointed. I found the film to be very expertly directed, and the acting was on par with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man performance, which I also thought was great. The CGI effects are better than the universal panning the film has received would lead one to expect, but they are not flawless. However, seeing the Hulk leaping across the desert vistas, smashing tanks and then tearing through San Francisco really made the comic book version of the Hulk (very different from the late '70s/early '80's Lou Ferrigno version) come alive. The film was involving and truly flew by for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
06-30-03, 12:55 AM
#105
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18 million for the Hulk this weekend equals a bust in my mind. I really thought this would be neck and neck with the Matrix, closing about 280 million. This thing has crashed and burned HARD, with more big films to come this weekend, it'll do well to crack the top 5 this weekend.
06-30-03, 09:57 AM
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Wow. Hulk dropped 70% this weekend. Its close to being a bomb. When you get the head of Universal making excuses, you know there is trouble:
Looks like Hulk will barely make a profit. And yes, I am waiting for the "If 100 million gross is a bomb, then I would like to have that kind of bomb" message
There's a little malaise out there in the business," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released "The Hulk." "Hopefully, in the next few weeks it'll pop up again. ..... Universal executives were disappointed with second-weekend numbers for "The Hulk," though the movie still will turn a profit, Rocco said.
06-30-03, 10:22 AM
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it sort of upsets me that a lot of people on this board are "rooting" for hulk to bomb. I saw it yesterday and while its not the best movie of the year or anything, but i found it a compelling story and fairly deep for a summer movie. i guess the reason it upsets me is that i wish more summer movies opted for good story over action, explosions and T & A.
oh well. anyway, the movie is good and the CGI is good (not awsome, but not terrible either).
i enjoyed this flick.
oh well. anyway, the movie is good and the CGI is good (not awsome, but not terrible either).
i enjoyed this flick.
06-30-03, 10:31 AM
#108
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I think the I Hated It crowd was much more vocal in the word of mouth game than the It Was Cool crowd. That's a shame.
I did have to wonder, though, about Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle only pulling in $38 million. Maybe it was a bad weekend for movies?
Either way, it doesn't look like Hulk will be breaking into the blockbuster range. But, it will probably do enough business to pull in the sequel. Didn't X-Men only do something like $160 million? Hulk probably will do that by the end of its run.
I did have to wonder, though, about Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle only pulling in $38 million. Maybe it was a bad weekend for movies?
Either way, it doesn't look like Hulk will be breaking into the blockbuster range. But, it will probably do enough business to pull in the sequel. Didn't X-Men only do something like $160 million? Hulk probably will do that by the end of its run.
06-30-03, 11:53 AM
#109
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Yeah, I was surprised by the low showing of Charlies Angels as well. I find it hard to believe that "there is a crowd rooting for Hulk to fail" Well, maybe if you think the movie was bad, then youi are rooting for it to quickly exit the theaters...but I don't think there is anti-Hulk conspriacy.
Well its a matter of how much X-Men and Hulk cost..the returns for X-Men are probably a lot better than Hulk if they both pull in $160 million.
, it will probably do enough business to pull in the sequel. Didn't X-Men only do something like $160 million? Hulk probably will do that by the end of its run.
06-30-03, 03:23 PM
#110
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Originally posted by chanster
...but I don't think there is anti-Hulk conspriacy.
...but I don't think there is anti-Hulk conspriacy.
06-30-03, 03:30 PM
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Originally posted by SunMonkey
Either way, it doesn't look like Hulk will be breaking into the blockbuster range. But, it will probably do enough business to pull in the sequel. Didn't X-Men only do something like $160 million? Hulk probably will do that by the end of its run.
Either way, it doesn't look like Hulk will be breaking into the blockbuster range. But, it will probably do enough business to pull in the sequel. Didn't X-Men only do something like $160 million? Hulk probably will do that by the end of its run.
06-30-03, 04:19 PM
#112
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Originally posted by Spooky
I don't think X-Men cost $140 million to make.
I don't think X-Men cost $140 million to make.
$75,000,000 (USA) according to imdb. they also said that the hulk costed about 125 to make.
06-30-03, 07:40 PM
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I liked the Hulk also, but most of the crowd were not into it.Saw it in Malaysia.The Hulk is not a famous character here in Japan but with some good marketing they might get the crowd in for the movies and jack up the sales for the Hulk.I surely want to see more of the Hulk movie.
